Multi-objective optimization based on an adaptive competitive swarm optimizer

Following two decades of sustained studies, metaheuristic algorithms have made considerable achievements in the field of multi-objective optimization problems (MOPs). However, under most existing metaheuristic frameworks, an improved scheme introduced to address specific defects usually leads to additional problems that need to be solved further. Emerging optimization mechanisms should be considered to break the bottleneck, and an adaptive multi-objective competitive swarm optimization (AMOCSO) algorithm, a promising option for solving MOPs, is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the competitive mechanism is modified so that it can perform well on MOPs, and an improved learning scheme is designed for the winners and the losers, which can greatly enhance the optimization efficiency and balance the convergence and the diversity of the proposed algorithm. Then, an external archive and its maintenance schemes are introduced to prevent the population from degenerating and make the algorithm framework more comprehensive. Moreover, a practical adaptive strategy is proposed to fill the blank of parameter research, and no human factors exist in AMOCSO, which means that an amazing promotion can be achieved in generalization. Finally, abundant experimental studies are carried out, and the results of comparative experiments show that the proposed algorithm has significant advantages over several state-of-the-art algorithms.